title: Induction of pituitary tumors in germ-free rats exposed to Aspergillus versicolor.
abstract: We clarified the role of mold exposure in pituitary tumor induction using 53 germ-free Wistar rats exposed before birth and continually exposed thereafter, to Aspergillus versicolor alone. Rats were autopsied at 540 to 730 days. Untreated germ-free controls were autopsied on day 730. Thirty-three of the 53 monoassociated rats had pituitary tumors (62.3%), while only three of the 41 control germ-free rats had tumors (7.3%). It seems likely that this high incidence of pituitary tumor in the experimental rats is due to metabolites derived from the mold.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Germfree Life, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sumi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005856:Germ-Free Life; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000633:toxicity; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins